Chapter Nine
One Week Later
Peyton closed her eyes as Shae pressed not one but two fingers inside her ass, and began to spread them open.
She didn’t quite know how they had gotten to this point, only that she ached for him.
Shae hadn’t taken long to recover. In less than three days he was back out in the field, working with his ranchers.
She went back to the bakery. Thankfully, the three days she was closed, the locals didn’t abandon her shop, for which she was grateful. She fulfilled all orders that had been paid for up-front. She was a woman of her word, and she also refused to let anyone down.
The truth was, she didn’t miss the bakery once. And that ... was ... horrible.
She loved to bake and make food, but the best time she had had in years were the three days waking up on the ranch and starting work.
She cooked the ranchers’ breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Some guys even asked for a couple of sweet pies and cakes to take back home.
She did that and loved it. She even enjoyed taking care of Shae, which she didn’t think she would be able to do, but she did it.
It was a whole new experience to her, one she loved.
She didn’t enjoy being at the shop anymore. She didn’t know if Leah had noticed. The other woman hadn’t said anything, but she pushed that out of her mind, as Shae used his other hand and began to tease her clit.
There was no time to be thinking about her life choices as he worked her ass, stretching her. He was using quite a bit of lubrication. Ever since he had gotten better, Shae hadn’t stopped touching her, exploring her.
Also, she didn’t want to say anything, but she had skipped her menstrual cycle, which made her feel a little worried.
She was as regular as clockwork. Peyton didn’t know if she should put it down to all the stress, or if it was in fact pregnancy.
At the moment, she didn’t feel any differently.
She had gone to the pharmacy, or at least gone close to the pharmacy building, and not quite gone inside.
She stayed on the outside and wondered if she should wander in and grab herself a pregnancy test. The only problem was people would know.
Fort was a great place, but it was full of gossips. No one had any true private business.
She let out a moan as he stroked her clit, lighting the fire within her body. He’d already given her one orgasm with his mouth, and now as he continued to stroke her clit and work her ass, she was close to a second. Clenching her hand into a fist, she moaned his name.
“Do you want me to stop?” he asked.
“No, don’t stop.”
She could imagine the smirk on his face, and in that moment she really didn’t care. She just wanted to feel him. He pulled his fingers from her ass, and she whimpered.
“I’m going to see if you can take me.”
Peyton didn’t move. She was on her knees, the front of her body pressed against the bed, and she anticipated his next touch.
She felt the tip of his cock, and it was so slick as it stroked between her ass cheeks. Another moan fell from her lips. He groaned, and then she felt him start to press forward, pushing past that tight ring of muscles, and working her body the only way he could.
She gripped the sheet beneath her as he pushed inch by inch inside her.
It was a tight fit, and she wasn’t sure if it was comfortable or not.
She closed her eyes and didn’t fight him.
She trusted him, and any pain seemed to disappear, as he pushed inside her and she felt how close he was.
His full body touching hers. He was balls-deep inside her ass.
His hands ran up her body, cupping her tits, then went back down again.
She loved his hands. They were large and a little on the rough side from all the hard work he did.
He kissed the back of her neck, and she didn’t know how much time passed, but enough for her to get used to the feel of him inside her.
Then, he started to rock back and forth, and she felt him moving.
Peyton didn’t know if she was going to be able to handle it, but in and out, he pressed forward, and she moaned his name, not wanting him to stop.
It felt so good, and so intense. He lifted up and took hold of her hips as he rode her ass.
Shae didn’t go fast. He took his time, allowing her to feel every inch of him.
“Fuck, baby, I am not going to last.”
Then, he stopped, thrusting all the way inside her, and he moved his fingers around, and started to tease her clit.
She didn’t think she was going to be able to orgasm, but with his dick in her ass and the pleasure consuming her whole body, she went right over the edge within a matter of seconds. There was no holding back.
He was the master of her body, and all she could do was fall.
There was no way to stop it, not that she even wanted to.
She fell hard and fast, and there was nothing to do but embrace it.
Even before the aftershocks of her orgasm, Shae made love to her, filling her up.
He pumped his hips once, twice, a third time, and she felt him tense and the pulse of his cum as he spilled it deep inside her ass.
Peyton collapsed to the bed, and Shae did the same behind her. Shae wrapped his arms around her, taking hold of her hands and locking their fingers together. “What are you doing for Thanksgiving?”
She chuckled. “It hasn’t even been Halloween yet.”
“I know, but I want to know if your calendar is full.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “My calendar is full, but seeing as most people in town stay home and it is one of those days where the whole town shuts down, I do as well. I work up until the day before Thanksgiving, and then open on Saturday. Why?”
“I’m just wondering if you’d like to invite a few friends over. We could make it a Friendsgiving kind of deal.”
She turned her head to look at Shae. “You’re willing to invite people to the ranch?”
“Why not? I’d invite Wade and Carla, and his army of kids. There’s Leah.”
“Could I invite Hank and Lucy?”
He scrunched up his nose. “The two people that keep trying to steal you away.”
Peyton laughed. “They mean nothing in their proposals.”
“I don’t know. I think they mean something.”
“What about William?”
“The diner stays open throughout Thanksgiving. He offers people who don’t have a large family a place to come and have fun with other people.”
“Okay, I’d like that.”
“Consider it a date.” And he leaned over and kissed her.
****
Shae looked over the kitchen counter at his woman.
Peyton was currently working on some meatballs for the two of them.
William was busy doing the final preparations for Halloween, which was tomorrow.
He knew everyone was excited for the big day.
Peyton had already told him she would be working late tomorrow.
He intended to get work done and head into town.
He’d keep an eye on his woman and see how the festivities were going. It was set to be a fun day, and that was what he was looking forward to.
In the pocket of his jacket was an engagement ring.
He had already told Wade about it. His friend knew he had every intention of proposing, he just hadn’t found the right time to do it.
He was torn between proposing on Halloween night, after she closed the shop, where everyone in town would see.
Then, there was the slight fear of rejection that might come if she turned him down.
He didn’t know if he should do it in private, seeing as they hadn’t exactly put a label on their relationship.
There was a lot he wanted to do and experience with her.
“What’s up?” Peyton asked.
She had this huge smile on her face. It was one he had seen her give out to so many people, and the fact she was looking at him and smiling meant the freaking world to him. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, she was looking at him with laughter in her eyes.
“Nothing, just, you know, thinking.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
He shook his head. “Nah, it’s all good.”
Pulling his hands out of his jacket, he couldn’t believe he felt this way.
He had never been a coward in his life. Never, not once, yet here he was, acting like a freaking coward.
It made no sense to him. He should just ask her.
They were in a good place, and yes, he had blackmailed her to get to where they were, but they had moved past it.
There was a chance she was already pregnant.
They had been together for longer than two months, and he was aware she hadn’t had a menstrual cycle in all the time she had been with him.
He didn’t want to bring it up. Shae wanted to get a pregnancy test, but that would open up a whole set of other problems.
He tried to think of all the stories his father had told him, and even his mother, when it came to getting together. His father had pursued his mother, until she eventually fell in love with him.
What did he have to do to get Peyton to confess any feelings for him? He didn’t have a freaking clue. Just as he was about to ask her how she felt, it was like someone intervened. His cell phone started to ring.
“I’ll take this.” Pulling out his cell phone, he saw it was a call from Wade.
“Hey, man, what’s up?”
“Uh, I don’t know if you are going to want to know this, but your girl’s bakery is on fire, and they are working like crazy to put it out right now.”
He turned to look at Peyton. “We’re on our way.”
Peyton looked at him. She was wiping her hands on a towel. “What is it?” she asked.
“Your bakery. It’s on fire.”
“What?”
The smile, the happiness just faded, she started to round the kitchen counter, and he caught her in his arms.
“It’s okay.”
“No, there is no way this can be okay. My bakery is on fire.” He saw the panic in her eyes.
“Stop worrying.”
“Damn it, Shae. I need to go and see.”
And he drove, breaking every speed law as he got to town, and as they arrived, it looked like the firemen hadn’t long put it out.
Peyton climbed out of the car and rushed to the bakery, but he was there, stopping her.
“What happened?” Peyton asked.
He felt her shaking.
The building was completely black, and already he could see there was nothing to salvage. Her shop was not attached to any other shop. It was one of the few not connected to a row of shops.
Wade was there, as were several of the locals and a couple of tourists. Leah was there as well, with a somber expression on her face. Peyton just broke. He knew the bakery was killing her, and he was waiting for the perfect time to offer her a solution. Burning the place down was not one of them.
Shae helped Peyton into the truck, then saw Bill, the head fireman, waiting for him.
“What is it?” he asked.
Bill looked toward the truck. “I’ve seen enough fires to know this was started on the inside.”
“You think she left something on?”
“Hell, no, the color of this fire ... there was an accelerant. I don’t know who would have wanted to harm Peyton or this business, but someone started this fire from the inside,” Bill said.
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah, and Shae, whoever did it had a key.”
He looked toward Leah. Peyton wouldn’t have done this, as she had been home with him. He nodded toward Leah, as Bill left. He knew there would have to be an investigation.
“You set fire to this place?” Shae asked.
“What? Hell, no. I love working here, in case you didn’t notice. And with this place going up in smoke, I’m out of a job, Shae,” Leah said. She looked toward the car.
“Whoever did this had a key. You’re the only other person who had the key.”
“I got robbed,” Leah said. “I reported it to the sheriff, but he never came back to me. The keys were in my bag.” Leah ran fingers through her hair.
Shae didn’t like this. He had no reason to doubt Leah’s word. Running fingers through his hair, he was not in the best of moods.
“Okay, fine. I believe you.” And with that, he got to his truck, while sending a text to the sheriff that they needed to meet.
He drove Peyton back to the ranch. She was crying, and he reached over and placed a hand on her knee.
“You know, I don’t think I even care,” she said.
“You care.”
“No, I don’t. I was starting to hate that place and now it’s gone.” She laughed. “Maybe I did it. Maybe I left something on.”
He pulled up to the ranch, parked his truck, and turned toward her. “Stop it.”
Tears fell from her eyes. “You know I was starting to hate that place, and now I don’t know what I’m going to do. I can’t afford to rebuild. I can’t ... it’s too much.”
He reached over and gripped the back of her neck, forcing her to look at him. “Look at me, babe. It’s going to be okay. I am going to figure something out, and we’re going to work through this. You’ve got nothing to worry about. I promise you.”
“What am I going to do?”
“I’m going to take care of you.”
She shook her head. “I can’t let you do that.”
“Enough,” he said. “Tonight, you stop fucking thinking and let me handle everything. You understand? You’re not alone. You’ve got me.”
“Until you are done with me.”
He wanted to tell her he was never going to be done with her, but he didn’t know how much she could handle today. She had already been through so much, and right now he just wanted to give her time.